Originally Posted by
ZeroBG82
I don't agree with your last sentence in the quote. But otherwise, yes. That is the point exactly. Luke is acting like the Jedi of old, and not like himself. In the context of the film and it's themes, Luke, for a single solitary instant which he instantly regretted, wanted to destroy the dark side instead of defend his nephew. He was not acting as an Uncle, who should have wanted to protect Ben. He was acting as a Jedi Master, who had seen the order all but wiped out by the same evil now festering in Ben. Luke was acting out of fear, instead of love. Luke failed. You're not supposed to feel particularly sympathetic to him. It's meant to disappoint you.
It hurts to see Luke not be a perfect paragon, sure. But thematically it's really important to the film's message. He's trying to rebuild something that is dear to him, and which he believes to be incredibly important to the galaxy. And he sees a threat to it. One which he could eliminate, easily. And for just that single moment he is tempted to do so. To lash out at what he fears, what he hates. But he doesn't. He comes back to himself, and returns to being the Luke we know. Too late, as it turns out. Our actions, and our intentions that led to them, have consequences. And a thing, once done, cannot be undone.
It sets up the parallel between Ben and Luke. Both running, hiding from pasts that bring them pain. One who has hidden himself away in shame, the other who is attempting to literally murder his way out of his self-loathing. In the end Kylo Ren can't face his past. He's trapped by it, consumed by it. So obsessed with it that he lets absolute victory slip through his fingers in a fit of rage and pride and true, genuine foolishness. But Luke Skywalker can let it go. He can accept his mistakes, his failings, his shame. And he can choose to move forward anyway. To try again. He can choose to confront his mistake. Not in anger, at Kylo Ren. But out of love of those whom the First Order threaten. Luke goes to Crait not to fight Kylo, but to save the Resistance. He makes a mature, adult decision. Luke's most heroic act is to realize that it isn't all about him. Does he forgive himself? It doesn't actually matter. He has stuff to do, and he isn't going to wallow in what came before any longer.
My absolute favorite thing about The Last Jedi (a deeply flawed movie, certainly) is it's focus on what truly differentiates the light and the dark. On how utterly, almost depressingly simple the boundary truly is. And how elusive that simplicity can be in the face of life. I could write a novel on the way TLJ takes what has come before it and wraps it all up in a neat little bow to say "Here, this is why this happened this way, and it's been here all along." The Clone Wars, the Purge, the Empire. Vader's redemption and even Luke's failures in the immediate backstory. It's probably the most thematically complete movie in the saga. Sadly this comes with some narrative weaknesses which have been discussed to death, and probably will be again.